Dear Hope
by ariabellewrites
Summary: It was all the things Klaus and Hayley may never have the chance to teach their daughter, it was all the things they wanted for her. And it was also all the things Hope wanted them to know.
1. Dear Hope

Hayley stared at the empty crib – just hours ago she had been lying in it, swaddled in blankets – and now it was just empty. It was empty, and it was bleak, and it was everything that the future looked like to her.

It looked void of everything that was good and pure in the world. Her hand reached up slightly to knock gently at one of the crystals that hung from the ceiling that on a day much different from this one, would have caught light, sending waves of sunshine, and colors through the room.

Her daughter would have loved that, she decided, she would have loved the sunshine, and the warmth, and the meaning behind this room, even if her daughter could never understand it. This room, this nursery, was the beginning of their family.

They had already been a family, or rather two sets of a rather dysfunctional family, Klaus and Elijah, and Hayley and the baby, and then she and Elijah kissed, and they were Klaus and Elijah, and Hayley, Elijah, and the baby.

And then this had happened. This beautiful, perfect, nursery that literally bled with every good part of Klaus' being, and every bit of light that neither parents had spoken to each other about but hoped that there daughter would possess.

And there was nothing about the room that hadn't been thought through, not from the skyline Hayley was sure Klaus had painted, or to the wooden giraffe standing against the wall, and pushed to the side. It was the evidence of everything Klaus had the potential to be, it was the evidence of everything their family had the potential to be.

And then they were a family, they were just as dysfunctional, yet they were a single unit. They were Klaus, Hayley, Elijah, and the baby.

But standing in this room now, after all they had given up, after all they had sacrificed, after all the growing up they had done in the space of twenty-four hours there was no doubt in her mind that the moment Klaus had shown her this room they had become a different family, a family different from the Original family.

They had become Klaus, Hayley, and miracle baby. The three little children that no one had ever wanted, but all who somehow, wanted each other.

She could still smell her, she could smell her daughter on the sheets of the crib, just like she could feel her in her chest – or rather how she could feel the gaping hole in her chest where her heart had once been, where it had once beat for her.

The scent was sweet, with a hint of Klaus mixed into her, and for some inexplicable reason that comforted Hayley, for just a little while longer her daughter would be safe with her family, with her parents, with her father.

Klaus was a lot of things, and a good person was not one of them, but the thought had never occurred to her that their daughter was anywhere safer than with him, except maybe with her, and if she was with them, then she had to be untouchable.

Except they couldn't promise that, they couldn't promise that all the mistakes they had made wouldn't come back to affect the little princess who had been born into a warzone, because while Elijah liked to blame this on Klaus, Hayley knew better, this was as much her mess, as it was his.

They had created her, and they had created her world, so it was up to them to fix what they had both unintentionally and slightly intentionally caused.

"Niklaus called," Elijah said quietly as he entered the room causing Hayley to turn around quickly her eyes flashing a dangerous yellow for a brief second, "She's with Rebekah."

Hayley nodded slowly as her eyes turned back to their regular brown, he had assumed that she had been surprised by his entrance, but it wasn't that, his entrance had bothered her. There was something about Elijah being there in this room, in this nursery, that was getting to her.

She wasn't sure what she felt towards Elijah, it was something dangerously close to love, but even that didn't override the basic instinct that this was her room, this was her baby's room, and nobody was allowed in her baby's room.

She suddenly felt like a Mama Wolf whose den had been invaded.

"Good," Hayley said quietly forcing away the feeling as she crossed her arms over her chest, "She'll be safe now."

And Hayley truly believed that, because despite the sorrow and the despair that seemed to have taken up a new and permanent residence in her body, she knew that if she had to give her daughter to anyone, it would be to Rebekah. She knew she had made the right decision.

And then she felt jealousy, raw jealously seep into her bones. Rebekah had gotten everything she had ever wanted – however unintentionally – she had gotten her freedom, she would someday find a man to love if she hadn't already, and now she had a baby, she had a family.

Except that was Hayley's baby, Hayley's family, Rebekah had gotten everything that Hayley had never known she had wanted, and the second she had realized it, she had been ripped away from her screaming, and crying.

"What can I do for you?" Elijah asked quietly as she placed both her hands on the crib – letting it hold her weight, as quiet sobs made their way out of her mouth, "How can I help you?"

"You can't," She cried though it wasn't loudly, "You can't."

"But I can try."

"Just go, Elijah," She sniffed not having the energy in her to feel bad for the look of hurt that crossed his features, "Please, if you want to do something for me, just leave me alone."

And go he did. She wanted to feel bad, that man who was slowly but surely pulling at every string of her heart, and holding her prisoner to him had been nothing short of kind, and wonderful, and protective, and everything she could have ever wanted, but she couldn't, because he didn't understand.

He loved the baby, Hayley knew better than anyone how much he loved the baby, but he couldn't understand, he had lost a niece, he hadn't lost a daughter.

And she couldn't talk to him because he hadn't lost a daughter, but someone else had, someone else would understand her grief, someone else would know how badly every part of her being was hurting.

And then she was moving, out of the nursery, and towards her bed, clawing at the covers, at the shelves in the room, toppling things over, and throwing things at walls, till she finally found what she was looking for.

With shaky fingers she dialed the number she had dialed so few times that she could count on her fingers that amount of times she had done so.

"What is it?" The smooth accent wasn't harsh but it also wasn't welcoming, it didn't matter, right now she was a desperate woman, and she couldn't care if anyone would perceive her as such, especially not this man.

"Where are you?"

"Why? What's the problem?"

"I need you to come home." Hayley said quickly before she lost the nerve, "I need you to not go on a killing spree, or some kind of alcoholic bender, or whatever it is you do to handle your grief, and I just need you to come home."

"Home," He said slowly as if the concept was foreign to him.

"Home." She repeated in the same tone. Three hours ago, the concept was simple, home was wherever the baby was, home was wherever their daughter was, and now it wasn't so simple, because the fact still remained that home was wherever she was, but if they went anywhere close to where she was, they brought with them hell on earth.

"I'll see you soon, little wolf."

Hayley wasn't sure if she believed he would actually show up, as her pregnancy went on, he had been kinder and kinder to her, but she had always suspected that that had more to do with the fact that her daughter seemed more like a person.

Even she could constantly hear the tiny little heartbeat despite her hearing not being as good as the vampires, it thumped quietly and steady, always reminding them that there was someone they were fighting for, it the most peaceful of manners.

But when she looked up from her seat in the rocking chair – where just hours ago she had been holding the most precious baby in the entire world – she wasn't the least bit surprised to see Klaus standing there just like he had promised he would be.

"I'm here, what is it?"

Now that he was actually standing here, the reason for her freak out suddenly seemed like the most embarrassing thing in the world.

"I didn't want to be alone," She whispered quietly.

"And so you called me?" The statement sounding hard to believe even to her, let alone to him.

"Yes."

Klaus sighed as if he wasn't sure what to do with himself, Hayley didn't miss the way his eyes roamed like he couldn't focus on anything longer than a few seconds, and she couldn't imagine how she would have felt if she had created this room.

She could understand how much thought had gone into the nursery, but she would never truly know, everything in this room held meaning, and he knew better than anyone else what the meaning was, they were things he would may never get to explain to his daughter.

He moved across the and sat down on the floor next to the rocking chair, his back resting against the wall, and his arms resting on his bent knees.

"So I'm guessing that your love letter was in fact for me, then?"

Hayley laughed despite everything, but it wasn't a happy laugh, it was a laugh filled with sorrow, and longing, and everything in between, "It was for her."

"Dear Littlest Wolf," He mused.

"Actually, I called her Zoe, and then Caitlyn, and then Angela, and when none of those sounded right, I just called her my little girl," Hayley mused as well before she stood up her eyes wide and panicked, "We have to call Rebekah, we have to call her right now, she needs to come back, oh god she needs to come back."

"Hayley, Hayley!" Klaus said loudly standing up as well and blocking her path, "We can't call Rebekah, we need to give it time. And she most definitely can't come back. Whatever it is, it will have to wait."

"It can't wait," She said desperately her hands clutching at Klaus' upper arms, "We didn't name her! We didn't name her! We were so caught up in getting her to safety, in getting her out of New Orleans, in keeping her alive, that we didn't even name her!"

"Hayley!" He said even louder this time as she grew even more agitated at the thought.

She had just handed her baby over to Rebekah, and now she was going to raise her baby for god knows how long, and Hayley hadn't even named her. She had agonized over the decision during her pregnancy, when she actually had a chance to sit down and think about her pregnancy, but now Rebekah was going to name her, and change her, and kiss her, and do all the things she wouldn't get to do.

"I don't want Rebekah to be her mother!" She cried over him as the truth came spewing out of her mouth, "I don't want her to be with Rebekah, I don't want her to be with anybody, I want to hug her, and kiss her, and I want to tell her I love her, and I want her Klaus! I want my baby!"

Klaus stared at her as she clutched is shirt between the her two hands, making them closer than they had been since the night they had conceived their baby, and finally after what seemed like forever, his arms gently wrapped around her body, one hand at her waist, and the other on the back of her head, and his chin dropped to rest on the top of head.

"I want her too." He said so quietly that if she hadn't been changed that night she never would have heard him admit what he couldn't have before, admit what he had never been able to say before. "I want to hold her, and I want to read to her, and I want to teach her how to walk, and I want to teach her how to appreciate life, and art, and music. I want to show her how beautiful she is, and how beautiful the world is. I even want to yell at her, Hayley, I want to yell at her, and I want her to yell at me, and I want to be so frustrated with her that all I can think is that we brought this on ourselves when the two most stubborn people in the world had a baby. I want to lock her in a tower so she never knows what a boy is, and I want her to be happy, but more than any of those things, I want us to be the ones to make her happy."

"It's not fair."

"No," Klaus agreed pressing her lips to her head, "It's not."

"She's ours."

"And she will come home to us."

"But when?" She asked desperately as she looked at him as if somehow he would know all the answers that she couldn't find for herself, "When? After she's calling Rebekah 'mom'? Or after she's calling some random dentist 'dad'? Or maybe when she twenty and wants absolutely nothing to do with us? We didn't even name her Klaus even that, Rebekah, will get to do."

"I want to promise you that I will have our daughter back while she is still small enough to fit in the clothes in that cupboard, and the cradle by your bed. I want to promise you that you will be the only mother figure in her life, and I the only father. I want to promise you that she will love us as unconditionally as we love her, but I can't, Hayley, because I've tried promising them to myself and it didn't work. But there is one thing I can reassure you of."

"What?" She asked, if he had anything good at all to tell her, then she wanted to know, she needed to know, she needed something to get her till tomorrow, something to hold onto, something more than the idea of one day having her daughter back, something to sustain the right now, something to make her get up tomorrow and fight.

"Rebekah will not be naming our daughter."

"You named her," Hayley said slowly as she tried to decide if she was angry with him for naming their daughter without so much as asking her input, or if she was forever grateful that he had remembered to do it.

"I didn't mean to," Klaus admitted, "And then Rebekah asked me what her name was, and I just knew, little wolf."

"Tell me her name isn't something completely old fashioned like Eleanor," Hayley begged when in reality she would love her daughter's name even if her name was 'Eleanor' simply because Klaus had picked it, because her father had picked it, because for as long as they were apart, she would have this one piece of them.

"Hayley, there was only one name we could have ever named her."

"Her name," Hayley said as a feeling of inexplicable peace washed over her, she had to be right, this was the only thing that her name could be, it was the only name Hayley could ever imagine calling as she chased after a laughing little girl with dark hair and bright blue eyes, "It's Hope, isn't it?"

Klaus nodded, "Her name is Hope."

"Dear Hope," She said quietly testing it out.

"Wherever you are, we want you to know a few things," Klaus continued.

"Your mom and dad miss you very much."

"We also love you very much," Klaus said making her breath catch in her throat.

"Wherever you are, we hope the sun is shining."

"And we hope that the winds are laughing."

"And we hope that wherever you go, you find all the love in the world," She said her voice cracking slightly.

"We hope a lot of things for you, my littlest wolf."

"But most of all we hope for your happiness."

"Because you are ours, and we are yours, and we will always find our way back to each other."

"And no matter who you end up with, no matter who you love the way we want you to love us, nothing will ever change that." Hayley said firmly.

"I'm not so good at loving myself, but Mama, she's a pro at it. So for now I'm going to love you the best way I know how, sweetheart, and I'm going to do that by fighting for you, whatever terrible means necessary, and when we make our way back to each other," Klaus said quietly his eyes never leaving hers, "I'd really like it if you taught your father to love as well as I know you will."

"Here's the thing about our crazy, dysfunctional family, Hope, we're the kind of family that doesn't just fight for the people we love, and we don't just die for them," Hayley said just as quietly, "We kill for them, and Daddy, he loves you more than anyone in this world. So if you're going to teach him how to love like I do, I'd really like it if you taught me how to love like he does."

"But this isn't us promoting murder or anything, Princess," Klaus smiled gently.

"No," Hayley laughed a real laugh this time as she sniffed, "Be kind Hope Mikaelson, be the kindest person you can be, and smile wide, smile like every moment is the best moment you've ever lived. Even when you're crying, I want you to smile."

"And find happiness in simple things, find happiness in everything." Klaus said and then added as an afterthought, "But don't be an optimist, nobody likes an optimist."

"And nobody likes a pessimist either," Hayley laughed again, "Do what your Daddy and I haven't quite managed yet, find a balance."

It was a healing thought, somehow Hayley and Klaus had stopped being Mom and Dad, and the baby had stopped being miracle baby, somehow they had become Mama, Daddy, and Hope. They had become a family.

"But be passionate, Hope," Klaus whispered, "In everything that you do, be passionate. I want you to love, I want you to be so scared of love, that you can't imagine doing anything else but loving. I want you to let people in, I want you to love like you've never been hurt. I want you to be passionate."

"So that's it then, baby girl, I made you a promise that we would figure it out together, and we will, just from separate ends of the world for as long as we have to while Daddy and I make a world where there isn't a soul who doesn't love you."

"Goodnight, Princess. Good morning, Princess. Smile. Breathe. Love. Have Passion. Hope, be safe. Hope, be strong. And most of all, know how much you're Mama and I love you, know how much we want you."

"Love, Mama and Daddy."


	2. Dear Mom and Dad

Hope stared at her homework with feigned interest, if she really wanted to know about history she would go talk to her Auntie Beks, the poor woman nearly had a fit every time Hope's textbooks recorded something wrong.

It was the only class she got away with slacking in. Not that it had mattered, Hope had never gotten anything less than an A since she had been in seventh grade, it was all pretty touch-and-go till that point, and then her Auntie Beks had sat her down and told her how important it was to her father that she get an education – that she learn about the world.

And while her Auntie Beks were quick to tell her things about her mother, information about her father was more reluctantly offered up, Hope knew it was because underneath her harsh words and feigned anger, her Auntie Beks missed her brother more than anyone could ever understand, and it was hard for her to talk about him.

Hope was a Daddy's Girl – despite the fact that she had never met her father – and she was pretty sure if her Auntie Beks told her that it would bring her father happiness if she jumped off a cliff, she would do so – it wasn't like she would actually get hurt in the process.

Though her Auntie Beks would probably constitute it as putting her life in danger, which would then place her in a whole world of trouble, because while she didn't have many rules to live by, the ones that there were, were not to be messed with, and the biggest rule of all involves putting her life in danger. It's one rule that Hope had never had any interest in learning the consequences to.

She wondered – not for the first time – what kind of life she would have had with her parents, what kind of rules she would have had, the kinds of things they would have taught her. Hope loved her Auntie Beks – god, she loved her Auntie Beks more than anybody in the entire world, and if Hope died without ever meeting her parents, she would die completely content with the woman who had shaped her into who she was.

But it didn't change the constant emptiness that surrounded her, the emptiness she knew could only be filled by two people.

"What's with the thinking face, love?"

Hope turned in her seat to look at her Auntie Beks who had just walked into the home her arms laden with groceries that she could tell contained everything she liked to eat and everything her Auntie wanted her to eat – Hope after all was the only person in the room who ate.

She was hybrid, yes, but in the simplest of forms Hope was a vampire who could grow and change thanks to her werewolf side. She had never shifted into a wolf though her Auntie Beks figured she would be able to if she tried – without killing anybody, but she wasn't interested.

If she ever did want to try and go wolf, she wanted to do it with her mom, for now Hope was content with her three meals a day with a drink of blood.

"It's nothing, I'm just, thinking," She said lamely as she abandoned her homework in favor of helping her put the groceries away – or rather her form of the action, which involved simply putting things away till she found something she wanted, and then eating it. Today's choice was a bag of chocolate covered peanuts – she didn't even like peanuts.

"That's disgusting," Auntie Beks said shooting her a disapproving look as she took the peanut – now un-chocolate covered out of her mouth.

"I'm a very classy girl," She grinned.

"Also a sneaky one, quit changing the subject, what's wrong?" She asked crossing her arms over her chest as Hope jumped up onto the counter ditching her chocolate peanuts in favor of a bag of carrots that she probably should have washed before eating, but figured if unwashed carrots killed her than she was a shame to the hybrid name and should probably die just on principle.

"Nothing, Aunt Bekah," She sighed.

"You only call me Aunt Bekah when you're annoyed with me, and you're only annoyed with me when something's wrong, so why don't you just fess up and get on with it? Is someone bothering you at school?"

Hope gave her aunt an exasperated look, even if it was something at school, she was more than capable of taking care of herself, she went to a preparatory school in the heart of London – there was only so much trouble she could get into there.

"Nothing's wrong at school."

"Shall I compel it out you?"

"Even if you could compel me Auntie Beks," Hope pointed out as she took a loud bite out of her carrot, "You wouldn't, which makes that threat completely unthreatening."

"My intimidation skills rest more in threats like 'tell me what I want to hear and I won't rip your heart out of your chest' however considering you are my niece, I've had to resort to more tamed methods of cohesion."

"You have such self-restraint," She teased frowning as she dropped the carrots – she forgot she didn't like those either.

"This is about your parents, isn't it?"

Hope ignored the question, as she slid off the counter and began digging through the grocery bags again. She was usually much less reluctant to share her problems with her Auntie Beks, but she kept to herself when it came to her parents, it wasn't hard to figure out how she had managed to guess that this was about her parents.

"You know they love you very much."

"That's not what this is about," She sighed.

"Then what is it?"

"It's nothing."

"Hey," Auntie Beks grabbed her arm her blue eyes searching her own differently shaded blue eyes, "I can't help you if you don't let me."

Hope sighed as she abandoned the can of the soup – she told herself that it was because she really would have no idea what to do with the soup, but it was really because she was tired of holding the emptiness in.

"I just," Hope tried to find the right words that encompassed the complexity of her life and how everything she did and everything she was felt defined by that single moment when her parents had given her up, "I want them."

Auntie Beks face softened as she cupped her face with her hands, "Oh sweetheart, you're going to be with them someday, I promise you."

"I just, there's so many things," Hope cut herself off, she wasn't sure what she was trying to say, "I love you Auntie Beks, and you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, you are the reason I am who I am, you are the reason I love the things I love but-"

"But I'm not them," Auntie Beks smiled kindly picking her up and placing her back on the counter before she moved to stand between her legs, "Hope, I've told you about the things that I've wanted. I've told you about how I wanted love, and family, and freedom. I've even told you about how your father denied me those things for centuries before giving me all three of those things in one go."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you, my sweet girl, are all three of those things. You are my love, you are my family, you are my freedom. And by that same notion, you are free to love your parents, you are free to want the rest of your family, you are free to want them more than anything in the entire world. You don't ever need to feel guilty for wanting all those things on my account."

And just like that, her Auntie Beks had managed to understand the root of all of Hope's problems before she had even realized it herself. Her Auntie Beks had raised her – it didn't matter why her parents had given her to Auntie Beks, at the end of the day this woman had raised her, and Hope didn't ever want her to feel like she would ever forget that.

To Hope it was as simple as her Auntie Beks would never be her mom, but her mom would never be the woman who carried her bed to every night despite the fact that she was sixteen when she fell asleep on the couch.

"I just I don't want to keep it to myself, and I feel like if I tell you-"

"Then don't tell me."

"What do you mean?" She repeated.

"Tell them."

Hope blinked as she tried to understand what her Auntie Beks meant before she had simply disappeared to leave Hope to her devices.

And then Hope was moving with the vampire speed she usually didn't use out of habit, and because she couldn't find paper she simply turned to the back cover of her history textbook, picked up her pen, and began writing.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I first realized I wasn't like other kids when I was six and everyone's parents came into school for some stupid recital, sure some kids only had a mom come, or maybe a dad, but I didn't have either, I had my Auntie Beks.

And don't get me wrong, at the time I thought that that was coolest thing in the entire world, even when I knew I was different, I embraced it. I mean, I've always known I was different, being the _True hybrid _and all – which by the way is the stupidest name ever, but it's definitely better than being the _Original hybrid_ – sorry Daddy.

I was faster than the other kids, stronger than them, and weird things happened when I was around. I'm the product of two bloodlines that were never supposed to mix – I was supposed to be the balance, yet I'm the one thing that contradicts everything about the world, I'm not the balance, I'm the exception.

I'm a vampire that can grow and change thanks to my werewolf side – which I haven't activated because I haven't killed anyone, so if you need a reason to be proud of me, well I'm not a murder or anything – again sorry Daddy, but then again your hands aren't so clean are they Mom? Again not the point, and this letter is totally judgment free. And as if that wasn't enough I'm a vampire and a werewolf that can use magic.

I mean I can't use it well or anything – between you guys and me – it kind of freaks me out – but Auntie Beks thinks I could be really powerful if I tried, that's another thing, I'm not too into effort – but I don't use ancestral magic, apparently that's important, whatever that is.

I guess that's why they call me the true hybrid, because I'm literally every type of freak show out there. Not that you guys aren't cool or anything, but you kind of gave life to a freak – though I'm sure you know that by now.

This is so stupid – Auntie Beks hates when I use the word stupid, but you two should probably get used to it, it's my favorite insult – I'm talking to you – sort of – and I have so many things I want to say, but I don't know how to say them, and instead I just sound really annoying, and you're probably really frustrated that I'm your kid, but I promise I'm only slightly annoying.

Which by saying that makes me sound completely annoying.

Ugh, I love you. There, how's that for annoying? I love you both so much that it hurts, and there's this emptiness that lives in my soul, this emptiness that I have in me I know that it's the part of me that's waiting for you, I guess I'm just scared.

I'm scared that I'm not who you want me to be. It isn't lost on me how important I am to this family, it isn't lost on me the significance of my name, and it isn't lost on me what the significance of my existence is. I know that right now, you both and Uncle Elijah are fighting for me, fighting for my life with your own, and I guess I'm just scared that when you finally win, you're going to be disappointed with who you find.

I know my existence is an extraordinary thing, but me – I'm not extraordinary, I'm fairly mediocre. I'm not all that funny, and I'm not that smart, I scare easy, and I'm shy. I don't like confrontation, and I don't like big crowds.

I shut people out, and I hide away in books, I like my space. I'm not a total social recluse, I have friends, but it's kind of hard being friends with people who don't get it, my entire life is one big lie – and while I don't ever want to seem ungrateful for it – it's hard to have people open up to you when you know that every word that comes out of your mouth to them is a lie.

I got a D in seventh grade Algebra, I can't swim for shit, and I think Chemistry is the worst thing that has ever happened to this world. Despite Auntie Beks hatred towards the subject, I love history, there's something really cool about it – even when it's wrong.

And unfortunately, I am the worst artist you will ever meet in your entire life – you know if you ever get around to meeting me – that wasn't cool, forget I said that. I can't draw stick figures, and I can't paint landscapes, and I'm not ashamed to say that Auntie Beks had to compel my Kindergarten art teacher to let me pass the class because my art skills are that atrocious. Again – sorry Daddy.

It's just a lot of pressure to be the miracle baby when I'm so completely ordinary – you know besides the whole vampire, werewolf, witch hybrid deal.

I guess what I'm trying to say is the idea of you both terrifies me. I'm so completely terrified of meeting you and not being the girl you fought for, but I promise that everyday I'm trying to be. I'm trying to be the kind of girl that brings hope.

I try to be kind, and smile at people, and help little old ladies bring their groceries to their car – I'm not a saint by any means – but I'm trying, god knows I'm trying.

Mom – that letter you wrote me, it's a little beaten up, and ripped, and I'm pretty sure I spilled coffee on it during an all-nighter, but I promise you I have all those things you wanted for me, I have all those things thanks to you. But more than that I promise you that we can still figure it out together, because no matter what, I'll always be waiting for you.

Daddy – you're the enigma. You're the complication that no one can ever seem to figure out, and maybe that's why I feel such a connection to you, because I guess I'm an enigma too. Can I promise you something, too? Something different than what I promised Mom? I promise you that one day you're going to find a girl and she's going to love you more than anything in the world, scary hybrid and all. But more than that I promise you that I'll love you enough for anybody in this world till then, I will come home to you. I believe in you.

So I guess that's it then, when you guys get done ridding the world of every scary monster under my bed, I'll be right here waiting, and if for some reason you want to come earlier – I promise, despite everything, I'm not that easy to kill. I love you both, I'm waiting for you both.

Love,

Hope


	3. First Encounters

She was four the first time Klaus saw her. She was four and she was everything that Klaus hadn't expected her to be. He hadn't meant to see her, it was purely on accident, Rebekah had never told them where she had taken Hope – he hadn't wanted to know.

He had gone to London to locate something that a witch had claimed would help cut off the witches access to his mother's ancestral magic if not all their ancestors completely. As far as Klaus was concerned if they needed to feed off of other people's magic to be a witch – they had no business being a witch at all.

Somehow it had never occurred to him that Rebekah would take her to London, he had this thought in his head that she had taken her to Mystic Falls – regardless he was glad that Rebekah hadn't taken her there because someone was always trying to kill somebody in Mystic Falls.

She was beautiful even at four years old – her dark hair was long and fell in perfect loose waves right at her elbows. She was small, smaller than he had expected, and she had this smile that made Klaus smile on command. It was lazy, and content, and effortless, and when she smiled it revealed a very familiar set of dimples.

The hint of the devil he had seen in her eyes when she was born, had turned into his eyes completely. Logically, he knew that anyway, that those were his eyes, yet they looked so different on her. They looked bright, and excited, with a hint of mischievousness in them, they looked like everything she represented – hope.

"Auntie Beks!"

Her voice was high – but not an annoying high, more like a sweet soprano, and it filled Klaus with an unfamiliar warmth. For the first time Klaus noticed what she wearing – a tiny little school girl's outfit. A white button down shirt tucked into a plaid skirt with a sweater pulled over it, with black tights, a little pair of black sneakers, and a small backpack strapped onto her shoulders. She looked adorable – which was saying something because Niklaus Mikaelson did not use words like adorable.

"Hello, sweetheart," Rebekah's familiar and not unwelcome voice echoed back as the blonde dropped to her knees so the brunette could dive into her awaiting arms, "How was your day?"

"I read a book!" Hope cried with such excitement on her face that Klaus was hooked on her every word the second she began speaking.

"Oh yeah, what book?"

Hope frowned, "I don't know. There was bear in it though!"

Rebekah laughed in turn making Hope laugh as well – an infectious sound.

"Auntie Beks, can we get ice cream?"

"What for?"

"To eat ice cream," She said in an obvious tone.

"We have some at home, sweetheart."

"But that's no fun." Hope protested.

"Alright then, do you have homework?" Rebekah asked setting her down and taking her hand as they moved down the sidewalk away from the school causing Klaus to follow them unconsciously.

It was like Hope was a magnet and he was drawn to her, wherever she went, eventually however unintentionally he would make his way to her.

"Yes, but I don't want to do it."

"Well then I don't want ice cream," Rebekah said stopping both of them in their tracks.

"Auntie Beks," Hope said seriously waving her down to her height, "Do you think Daddy would make me do homework for ice cream?"

Klaus knew he couldn't die – logically he knew that he couldn't be killed, and that his heart didn't beat because he was already dead, but in that moment he wasn't too sure. Because the second the word 'Daddy' slipped off Hope's tongue like it was nothing out of the ordinary, Klaus could have sworn his heart missed a beat, or someone had taken it and ripped it out of his chest.

"Hope, your Daddy would sit you at the table and he wouldn't let you get back up till you finished your homework, there would be no ice cream involved whatsoever, only do as you are told when you are told."

Klaus wasn't so sure about that statement, the look Hope was giving Rebekah right now was killer and Klaus wasn't sure if there was anything he wouldn't do for her if she looked at him like that – and that was including doing her homework for her.

"Well what about Mommy? Mommy would give me ice cream."

"You're right she would, after you did your homework."

"Auntie Beks," Hope sighed.

"Hope," She sighed back.

"Only if you carry me," Hope said raising up her arms.

"Alright little one," Rebekah laughed picking her up and moving back down the sidewalk, "You drive a hard bargain."

"Auntie Beks?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I love you."

Klaus stopped in his tracks as Rebekah beamed and whispered the sentiment back as the pair entered the ice cream shop. For a brief moment the image was completely different and he could see a little girl – one that looked exactly like Hope – walking into an ice cream shop with a woman that wasn't Rebekah.

"Did you find it?"

"I found something," Klaus said in a controlled tone as he clutched the phone tightly before he had even realized he was calling her.

"What do you mean?"

"She's perfect, Hayley. She's perfect, and she's beautiful, if we leave her with Rebekah for too long she's going to be brat."

"Hope." She said quietly.

"I wasn't looking for her or anything but she's here in this schoolgirl's outfit, and she likes books, and ice cream – chocolate ice cream – and she asks about us, and I need you to tell me I'm at terrible person."

"Why would I do that?" She asked in that tone she used when she was really just making you feel beneath her. It was her 'I'm werewolf royalty so hear me roar' voice.

If anyone had asked Klaus five years ago, Hayley would have been nothing but a one night stand that he had sought comfort in after one too many drinks. And even now he had a hard time admitting that she was his best friend.

Klaus didn't have friends on principle, let alone one he valued above the others – yet somehow his brother's girlfriend had become his best friend – though that was justifiable as she was his baby momma first.

As both had come to terms with the idea that the baby was coming, that they were both becoming parents, they had formed a silent, unspoken agreement, no matter what their opinions of the other they had to find a way to work together. They had to be put her first.

But then they had to give Hope up, however temporarily, and they had spent countless hours in solitude with one another. They had spent weeks sitting silently in that nursery – Klaus on the floor with his back against the wall, and Hayley on the rocking chair.

And eventually, the silence had become too loud, and before he or even she had realized it they were friends, friends who had a child together, friends who woke each other up in the middle of the night because the missing presence of said child was so dominant that they couldn't sit through it alone.

They had become unlikely allies, and even unlikelier friends.

Time and tragedy had forced them together.

"Because if you don't then I don't know how I'm going to stop myself from walking in there, and picking her up, and carrying her all the way back to New Orleans."

"Does she still look like me?" Hayley asked quietly.

"She's a perfect mix."

"Do you think Rebekah knows your there?"

"If she doesn't then we shouldn't have entrusted her with her care."

As if on cue Rebekah – who had been giving her undivided attention to Hope – flicked her eyes in his general direction for a brief moment as if to answer the unasked question, yes she did know he was there, and she was going to carry on with her day till he made her mind up.

"I-does- I don't even know what to say," Hayley stumbled over her words trying to make up her mind.

"She's happy," Klaus said finally speaking the reassurance that both of them had needed for the past four years, "She's happy, little wolf."

"Then that's it then isn't it?" She asked quietly, "You wanted motivation to leave her behind, there it is. She's happy, and if you bring her back she won't be."

"She asks about us," He admitted, "Asks what we would do."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean she didn't want to do her homework, and when Rebekah told her she would only get her ice cream if she did her homework, Hope asked what Mommy and Daddy would do."

Hayley laughed though it was a sorrowful tone and then wondered aloud, "What would we do, Klaus?"

"Maybe we would've given her the ice cream," Klaus mused, "Maybe I would have forced her to do it. Maybe you would have."

"You can be bad cop," Hayley decided.

"Honestly, do you even see an end of the road? Because I don't, I don't think either of us are ever going to be bad cop."

"I think we have to believe that we will." Hayley said softly.

"Believe," He said slowly the foreign word rolling off his tongue.

"I sit at tables with you guys."

"What?" He asked confused at the sudden turn in the conversation.

"I sit at tables with you guys. When I see you and Elijah somewhere I just slide into the table with you guys like you aren't Originals. I did it when I was still a pregnant werewolf, and now I do it when I'm a childless mother hybrid. And I see the way people look at me when I do, like I'm absolutely insane, like one can't just slide into a table with the Originals, like they can't just sit down with them, unless they are one of them."

"What's your point?"

"My point is I hated you, I hated you for what you did to Tyler, I hated you for the sire bond you created with the hybrids, and then you got me pregnant, and I hated you even more. You were cruel, and manipulative, and I hated you."

"Your feelings towards me are not news, Hayley."

"I hated you, Klaus, I hated you so much that I went to Mystic Falls to ruin your life and get rid of the rest of your hybrids. And then despite how much I hated you I slept with you, and because my life is a constant cycle of a bad decision followed by an even worse outcome, I ended up pregnant."

"You still haven't gotten to the point," He said roughly.

"The point is, from the second I knew I was pregnant with your baby, Klaus, you stopped being scary to me – however subconsciously – everyone fears you – your own sister and brother fear you – but I don't. I was scared you would try and take Hope away from me, but I was never scared of you. From the second I knew I was pregnant with Hope, I stopped being scared to slide into a table you were sitting at, because the second I got pregnant, I became one of you."

"When have I told you that you weren't family throughout this entire conversation?"

"Would you just let me finish? I'm one of you, Klaus, I'm probably a couple centuries younger than you all, and I'm much more killable than you are, but I am an Original, in every sense of the word that matters. I am an Original, I am family, I am one of you, and if I can still believe in things so, so can you. That means you have to believe that she will come back to us. Because if I'm an Original and I can believe, than any of you can believe."

"She's right you know," Rebekah said quietly as Klaus hung up the phone, "We all have to believe that she is going to go home."

"Don't get me wrong little sister," Klaus said as she sat down next to him on the bench, "I knew what I was doing when I gave my daughter to you, but I don't think you should be so excited to have to give her up."

"I knew what I was doing as well when I took that child from New Orleans. I knew that she would never be mine Nik, but I also know how much she loves me, and that is enough for me that will always be enough for me. She loves you Nik, more than you know, and when you finally experience love from Hope Mikaelson you'll be able to understand what I truly can't explain, that little girl will always be more than enough, no matter how or how much she loves you."

"She's happy," He observed as he watched her laugh to herself through the window of the ice cream shop as she stole some of Rebekah's ice cream.

"Silly girl," Rebekah said fondly. "She knows I can still see and hear her."

"That's probably why she's doing it."

"Do you want to meet her?" Rebekah asked suddenly, "I understand why you can't send letters, or call, and I understand why you will never set foot in London again till all this over, but you're here now, and you've already been following us for a while. Come meet your daughter, Nik."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," He said slowly despite the fact that he was sure how ridiculously fast his heart was beating in his chest – or maybe he was imagining it, he couldn't be sure anymore, Hope was making him feel things he hadn't felt in centuries.

"I wasn't aware that that had ever bothered you before."

"I can't be reckless with her."

"Then don't be, we'll tell her you're my friend, and you just popped by for a visit."

"She can't ever talk about me, Rebekah."

"I know that Nik," Rebekah sighed, "I'll explain it to her, I'll make something up, she can't be compelled – not that we would resort to that anyway – she will understand, so please Nik, come meet your daughter."

Klaus looked at Rebekah for a long moment, and then back at the window before he stood up and waited for her to lead the way.

Up close Hope was more than beautiful, at the tender age of four years old, Hope Mikaelson was already stunning. She had defined cheekbones like her mom – in fact Klaus had been wrong, while she was the perfect mix of the two, Hope looked exactly like Hayley only with his eyes.

While he cared for Hayley in a manner far greater than he had when all this had started, and while she had become the one person in the entire world who knew him better than Hayley, their relationship was purely platonic, Hayley was Elijah's and it was as simple as that. However, even he couldn't deny the beauty of the hybrid – he had slept with her after all – that she had passed on to their child and he was rather undecided if he was grateful for that.

"She's shy," Rebekah warned under her breath as Hope looked at him curiously from underneath her long, dark eyelashes, "Hope, darling, this is my friend Nik."

Hope stared at him for a second before turning back to her ice cream, letting her long hair fall as a wall between him and her. He felt like he should've been put off by the action, but it only seemed to make her more endearing.

"He's going to have ice cream with us." Rebekah said giving Klaus a pointed to look to get ice cream, apparently that was a requirement to be part of the table.

Despite the fact that he couldn't even remember the last time he had ice cream, and the fact that he didn't like chocolate ice cream, he bought a cup of it anyway, and slid into the seat next to Rebekah who was shooting him a 'do something' look.

He replied with a glare, this had been her bloody brilliant idea.

However, Hope solved the dilemma for the both of them as she shyly pointed at her ice cream and then his, "Same."

Klaus smiled, "It is."

Hope studied him as she absentmindedly tucked her hair behind her ear – something Klaus didn't miss – her eyes roaming his face searching for something that he wasn't quite sure if she found or not.

Then she furrowed her eyebrows, closed her eyes, touched her eyelids, and opened her eyes again. She pointed a small finger at Klaus' face with her intent most likely being his eyes though she ended up pointing more so at his nose, "Same."

Rebekah inhaled sharply, even she hadn't been expecting Hope to be so observant.

Klaus hesitated before nodding, "Yes sweetheart, same."

Hope crinkled her nose as if she was thinking of something before she nodded to herself and pushed her bowl of ice cream to Rebekah, "Switch."

"You don't even like pistachio ice cream," Rebekah protested.

"Please?"

Rebekah sighed but slid her own bowl over, "Don't say I didn't warn you darling."

Klaus watched with fascination as Hope dug a spoon into the green ice cream, and swallowed the bite, making a face the whole time. She was funny – in her own way – and he was fascinated by her, he knew if he had the chance he could spend all his time just watching her and never be bored with the activity.

"Switch."

This time she was pushing the bowl of ice cream towards him.

"What do you say?" Rebekah prompted.

"Please?" She repeated.

Klaus pushed his chocolate ice cream that he hadn't even touched across the table towards her, and took the pistachio ice cream as well, and when she looked at him expectantly, he took a bite of it. He made a face, he forgot he hadn't liked it either.

"Same," Hope said for the third time in a more excited tone, as her body language loosened.

"Yes love, same," Klaus repeated as well.

"Auntie Beks?"

"Yes darling?"

"Do I still have to do my homework if I didn't finish my ice cream?" Hope wondered.

Klaus shoved a spoonful of pistachio ice cream into his mouth to cover up his snort of laughter; she was resilient, he would give her that.

"Yes, Hope," Rebekah said in a firmer tone, "You have to do your homework."

Hope turned to him with an expectant look, "Would you make me do my homework if I didn't finish my ice cream?"

"Yes, Nik," Rebekah turned to him with a gleam in her eyes as his daughter inadvertently put him on the spot, "Would you make Hope here do her homework if she doesn't finish her ice cream?"

"Well," Klaus considered the question as he looked between his little sister and his daughter – two girls who had the unfortunate means to reduce him into bending to their will, "I suppose I don't really see how the two correlate."

"What?"

"I don't really see what one has to do with the other," Klaus amended at his four year olds confusion.

"Everything," Hope said seriously.

"Everything reverts backs to ice cream," Rebekah confirmed, "Absolutely everything, and the little monster doesn't even like ice cream."

"Yes, huh, I do," Hope insisted.

"Hope, you've literally taken two bites out of this, you don't like ice cream."

"Well that's cause it's cold."

"So then why do you insist on eating ice cream on all the time?" Klaus wondered aloud.

"My Auntie Beks says my mommy loves chocolate ice cream," Hope declared proudly, "And I'm going to be just like my mommy someday."

Klaus stared at her for a long moment, before settling on not saying anything to her at all. How did he reply to that? There was nothing he wanted more for his daughter than to grow up into the kind of woman that Hayley was – perhaps with a little bit more innocence – but there weren't words for how deep of a chord her words had struck.

"Auntie Beks," Hope yawned, "I'm sleepy."

"Well maybe if you hadn't stayed up so late last night, you wouldn't be so sleepy," Rebekah scolded half-heartedly as they all stood up, Hope reaching her arms up for Rebekah the second she did so.

Rebekah obliged easily as they made their way out of the ice cream shop and then raised her eyebrows at him when he hesitated, "Come on, Nik, she doesn't bite. Neither does the house."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Hope asked sleepily as she placed her head on Rebekah's shoulder.

When Klaus realized he didn't have an answer that he could give her, he nodded and began following along. He – along with everyone else – had this idea that he would be a strict father, but he didn't feel like one, in fact he felt like a dog on a leash, wherever she pulled, he followed.

It was easy to pinpoint the exact moment when she fell asleep, her breathing slowed down slightly, a peaceful look crossed over her already serene features, and her entire body relaxed.

"We don't live far from the school," Rebekah said quietly as they turned a corner, "She's still in primary school, and she hates everything about it besides the reading. She loves books, it's her art – which she is absolute rubbish at."

Klaus smiled – the fact was amusing to him, "I should go."

"Tuck her in, Nik," Rebekah said quietly as she pushed open the white fence that she had managed to obtain, "If you don't owe her that much, you owe it to yourself, she may not remember today when she gets older, but you will. You're going to have to live the rest of god knows how long in this moment, give yourself this moment."

Klaus took her from Rebekah gently, carefully, and hesitantly. He hadn't held a child since the last time he had held Hope – and even she was a baby at the time – but just like the first time, she fit perfectly into his side, her head in the crook of his neck, her hands resting gentle on his shoulders.

She wasn't heavy by any means – not that anything was heavy to him, but it was an unfamiliar feeling, if not a welcome one. He made his way carefully up the stairs, he knew that he would drop her – vampires didn't drop anything – but the irrational fear was still there.

He pushed open the door to the room that was the strongest with her scent, and entered. It was a simple room despite the elegancy of it – it didn't look like a child's room by any means, though Klaus never could have pictured his daughter sleeping in a princess carriage bed.

The furniture was a cream color, with a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, as well as twinkling fairy lights wrapped around furniture, and lined up on the walls, while the room itself was painted a light pink – almost peach color.

He pushed back the covers that seemed to melt against his hand, and with one hand behind her head, the other on her back, he placed her gently on the bed. With hesitant hands he tucked the dark hair that had fallen across her face, behind her ear, and smiled to himself as her nose that had been scrunched up, relaxed.

"Sleep well my littlest wolf," Klaus said quietly as he tucked the covers underneath her chin, and bent down next to the bed, running his fingers lightly through her hair, "One day you'll wake and I'll still be here, but for now this is how it has to be. If any other man runs out on you in the middle of the night, you snap his neck, unless I get to him first, in which case I'll snap his neck. Be safe, Hope. Be strong, Hope. And sweetheart, you really should do your homework."

And then with one kiss to her forehead, and a last look, Klaus was gone, leaving Hope with a small, lazy, content, and unconscious smile playing at the corner of her lips.


	4. Sunshine

Hayley laughed as Elijah placed a straw hat on his head, and made a face, in an action well out of character for her normally extremely put together husband.

"That looks terrible," She cried pulling the hat off his head and placing it on her own, "See this is cute."

"Yes you are," Elijah agreed pulling her into his body by her waist causing her to laugh again. She was in an exceptionally good mood today, for reasons she couldn't fathom, maybe it was because they were in New York, or maybe it was because she had somehow managed to drag Elijah out shopping, either way she was in an incredible mood.

Hayley smiled to herself through the kiss he pulled her into, and allowed him to take off the hat, and place it back on rack where they had taken it from.

"I believe this is the store you wanted to go to," Elijah said as they exited the hat store and made their way down the street to a cupcake shop tucked into the corner of the street, she had been here once years ago, and when she had heard Elijah was going to New York to find one of the last things they needed to cut off the witches ties to ancestral magic without leaving Davina without her magic, she had insisted on coming along so she could go to the shop.

Oh, and there was the possibility that she would miss Elijah while he was away, but mostly it was just about the cupcakes.

"The chocolate is that way," Elijah said pointing towards the left, "I assume that is all you are interested in."

In all her refined werewolf royalty glory, Hayley stuck her tongue out at her husband.

"How many do we want?" Hayley asked grabbing a box to being filling it with cupcakes.

"I don't eat cupcakes, Hayley."

"You should."

Whatever Elijah's response was lost as he stiffened, his hand that had been lightly placed against her back, moving to grab on to her wrist.

"What is it?" She asked looking at him furrowing her eyebrows.

"I think that's," Elijah trialed off but there was no need for him to continue the sentence, Hayley had already turned around, and she was already seeing what he was seeing.

She was stunning, with a head of long dark hair, and bright blue eyes, and set of dimples that were in full action as she threw her back laughing, a lazy, effortless smile forming on her lips. She looked like the little baby that haunted Hayley in her dreams, except she had become everything that that little baby wasn't.

She had grown up, she was seventeen now, she even had a boyfriend, or at least that's what it seemed from the way she was clutching onto the blonde boy's hand with both of her own, as he pulled her into cupcake shop.

There entrance wasn't noisy by any means, but it was like the whole world had stopped to look at them, to look at these two remarkably beautiful people, that had stumbled into the cupcake shop without a care in the world.

"The chocolate's that way," Hope said her eyes briefly glancing over where Hayley and Elijah were standing, before turning back to the boy, she nearly felt her heart give out, Hope had looked right through her, like she didn't exist.

And she supposed to Hope, she didn't.

"Babe," The boy's voice was accented like Hope's as he gave an exasperated sigh, "Would you just give it up? You don't like chocolate."

"Says who?" Hope challenged pulling away from him placing her hands on her hips.

She was even dressed perfectly in a grey shirt, a jean jacket, black leggings, a scarf, a brown bag, and the cutest pair of black ankle boots Hayley had ever seen.

Hayley frowned to herself lightly, where was Rebekah? She was supposed to be with her. She was supposed to be protecting her.

"Says you, says me, says the entire world. You hate chocolate, Sunny."

Hayley frowned again. Had he just called her Sunny? She was sure that was Hope – despite how different they looked, they bared way too many similarities – and she was a mother, she knew her daughter.

But did she really? It was nice to believe that a mother who had only seen her daughter once, on the day she was born, would always be able to recognize her daughter, but really would she? Hope was seventeen now, she wasn't a baby, and if this girl was her daughter, than she was absolutely positive her name wasn't Sunny.

"Come on, Jason," Maybe Hope laughed pulling him along, "It'll be fun."

"Baby, there is only so much chocolate that you buy and don't want that I can eat."

"It's not my fault your fat," She teased as they moved closer to Elijah and Hayley, neither which had moved, or breathed, or looked away since she had walked in.

The boy – Jason – was in fact the complete opposite of what Maybe Hope had said, he was taller than her, muscled in a lean manner, with a head of blonde hair, green eyes, and this dangerous air that surrounded him, even to Hayley, who was a hybrid, and he was no more than a human.

If Hayley wasn't sure how to feel about the boy just yet, and if she actually knew her daughter, she would have given her a well done. He was attractive, and he looked at her like without her the world didn't spin on its axis.

"Excuse me," Maybe Hope said politely, her smile still gracefully placed on her features, as Hayley realized that Elijah and she were both blocking the containers and the cupcakes.

"Sorry," Elijah said finding his voice first as he handed her a cardboard box smoothly, "We didn't mean to be in the way."

"No, don't be," Maybe Hope said sweetly as she looked away from them and turned to look at her boyfriend, "Do you want chocolate or am I just going to get enough for me?"

Jason glanced at the next row and nodded towards it, "I'll get the vanilla."

"You don't like vanilla, Jase," She said patiently.

"And you don't like chocolate," He countered.

"You're infuriating, did you know that?"

Jason laughed as leaned down to kiss Hayley's maybe daughter sweetly, and it didn't surprise her when Elijah's grip on her wrist tightened considerably at the action. Hayley was feeling that way herself, but more so at the fact that she knew nothing about this guy, than at the fact that Maybe Hope was dating someone to begin with.

"I'm also paying for your stupid cupcakes."

"Well if you let me pay for something for once, that wouldn't be a valid argument."

"Well I don't, and so it is."

Maybe Hope laughed as Jason turned to look at them with an odd expression, "Can we help you?"

It was bound to happen, Hayley wasn't surprised Maybe Hope or Jason hadn't called them out on their staring before – they had been doing it for the past five minutes.

"No," Hayley said quickly finally finding her voice, "We were just waiting, I was going to get chocolate cupcakes."

"Oh gosh," Maybe Hope blushed, "I'm so sorry, you two were just standing there, and for some stupid reason it didn't occur to me that you guys probably weren't standing there because you liked the view."

"Don't worry about it," She smiled, "I was actually just fighting with Elijah over here about how you can never have too many chocolate cupcakes."

"Tell me about it," Maybe Hope smiled back revealing those dimples – that seemed ever present, since Hayley hadn't seen her without the smallest of smiles on her face since they had walked in, "Jason here- Jason stop that!"

"He's staring at you," Jason said without removing the glare he had been directing towards Elijah – who was in fact still staring at Maybe Hope.

"Sorry," Elijah snapped out of it when Hayley subtly stepped on his foot – thanking anyone who was listening that she had put on wedges, "You just remind of someone I know."

"Oh I'm sorry," Maybe Hope joked easily – she was much more trusting than her boyfriend, and Hayley wasn't sure how she felt about that.

If this was really her Hope than of course Hayley wanted her to be happy, and undamaged, and trusting, but she also didn't want her to be naïve.

"I'm Elijah by the way, this is my wife Hayley."

"Jason," He interrupted as Hope opened her mouth, "And this is my girlfriend Sunny."

"Hope," She rolled her eyes, "My name is Hope. Jason you can't keep introducing me to people as Sunny."

"It's going to catch on, babe, you'll see."

"I don't look like a Sunny!"

"Yes you do!"

The teenagers began bickering amongst themselves oblivious to the fact that Hayley had turned around and began walking away, pulling Elijah with her, there was no way she was going to be able to hide the tears that were steadily building up in her eyes, and she couldn't very well tell Hope that she was crying in the middle of a cupcake shop because she was her daughter, and not her maybe daughter, because that wouldn't exactly go over very well.

"What is she doing here, Elijah?" Hayley demanded wiping at her tears as they stopped at the opposite end of the shop despite the fact that she could still see them, and if she put the effort in she would be able to hear them as well, "What is she doing in New York?"

"I don't know, Hayley," He said quietly his eyes never leaving them, "But I would like to find out. I would also like to know where my sister is."

"Well we can't very well go and ask her."

"Who says we can't?" Elijah raised his eyebrows.

"She doesn't know us," She said incredulously, "Let alone who we are to her, do you realize how creepy that would be for us to go up to her like that?"

"Well then tell her who you are."

Hayley gaped at the man who she had been married to for the past fourteen years, had Elijah gone absolutely insane in the past twenty minutes without her realizing it? Her first clue should have been when he agreed to take her shopping.

Surprisingly, even Klaus was easier to guilt into a shopping trip than the older Original, and that was saying something because Klaus Mikaelson only rarely knew the definition of the world guilt.

Though, when she did manage to rope Elijah into the excursion he was a much more enjoyable companion than Hayley's unlikely best friend who spent most of his time glaring at innocent bystanders as a means of entertainment.

"Are you crazy?"

"You know I was never for your plan of handing her off to Rebekah as it is, Hayley," Elijah said in that tone he had that made even the most insane of ideas sound completely logical.

"No," She said firmly, "Klaus would rip both our hearts out."

"I will deal with Niklaus."

"You can't always deal with your brother," Hayley snapped unable to contain her irritation her previous good mood disappearing as the toll of her grief at Hope's unexpected appearance finally truly hit her, "Sometimes he's right, Elijah."

"She's standing right there, Hayley. She has a boyfriend, she has a life, a life that we have not been a part of for the past eighteen years."

Hayley turned around with a huff to look at Hope, and frowned as whatever it was that she was going to say to Elijah became lost, just minutes ago Jason and Hope had looked like the happiest couple, and now they were both glaring at each other, the cupcakes long since forgotten.

She debated with herself before focusing her hearing on them, if she wasn't going to get to be Hope's mom yet, then there was nothing wrong with creeping on her. She wondered if it was more socially acceptable to creep on your daughter when she actually knew who you were.

"Damn it, Sunny, this is getting ridiculous."

"You think I don't know that Jason?" Hope crossed her arms over her chest, "We can't have this argument every single day. You need to get over this."

"Just go," Jason sighed, "I'll buy the stupid cupcakes, and wait for you."

Hope frowned slightly, though this time her features weren't angry, they were more resigned, like they really had been having the same argument every single day, and she couldn't do anything about it, "I'm sorry."

"I know."

Hope gave him one last look before she walked away and disappeared towards the back exit of the store.

"Stay here," She said quietly to Elijah and pulled out her cell phone dialing as she made her way towards the back of the store as well. It would be less creepy to follow her if she actually had a reason to.

"I told you I was a better shopping partner that Elijah," Klaus picked up with a smirk in his tone.

"Shut up, or I won't bring you back cupcakes," Hayley threatened.

"Oh the terror."

"It would be a disaster," She said informatively.

"Cupcakes don't solve everything, little wolf."

"Yes they do," Hayley said stubbornly as she waited a few seconds before pushing open the back exit that led to an empty parking lot that Hope was now walking in small circles around as she pulled out her own cell phone, "I have never met a problem that a cupcake couldn't fix."

"Then why haven't we applied your theory to the witches? If I had known I would have sent them a batch of poisoned cupcakes years ago."

"We aren't trying to fix the witches," Hayley said darkly, "We trying to annihilate them."

"That's a big word. So then, what's the real problem? I'm sure Elijah isn't too happy with me for stealing his wife."

"Maybe I just wanted to talk to my baby daddy," She said cryptically hoping he would understand the message, and she was sure he had because his end of the line became silent for a long moment.

"Hayley," He said slowly.

"She has a boyfriend," She said for a lack of something better to say, making sure to keep her voice down. It was easy to forget that Hope was a hybrid – one much more powerful than herself – when she was around her human boyfriend, but she wasn't, and she could definitely hear what Hayley was saying if she were too focus.

"_She has a what?" _Klaus growled.

"And you can't kill him," Hayley said quickly, "Because I think she actually likes him, maybe even loves him."

"Like that's ever stopped me before."

"That was Rebekah, this is your daughter." Hayley said obviously, "Fine, you can kill him if she likes him. But if it's too late and she's fallen in love with him, you're going to have to let the kid live."

"This is not a normal conversation." Klaus said carefully though she could tell through his tone of voice he was still aggravated and was simply trying to cover it up, only because he knew that Hope had to be close.

She didn't blame him, she had felt that way since Hope had walked into the cupcake shop holding onto Jason's arm. It wasn't Jason that aggravated her, or even the fact that Hope had a boyfriend, it was the situation itself that aggravated her.

Hayley didn't even know who the first boy Hope had had a crush on, forget her first boyfriend, and now she was seventeen, and she looked like she was all loved up, in fact she looked settled, and she couldn't help the anger she felt towards the world that she couldn't be part of that experience.

"He's protective," Hayley added thinking that may help the case Jason didn't know he was fighting, "Very protective. I thought he was going to punch Elijah for staring at her."

"So he's violent."

"She's probably violent," Hayley rolled her eyes at the completely hypocritical statement, though if anything about Hope's actions today were to go off of, then Hope wasn't a violent person, especially in comparison to her family, in fact she was kind, and had a sweet disposition.

"This will be over soon," Klaus promised a promise that he and she had been promising each other for years, "And then we'll be able to give her the home she deserves."

"Did we ever stop to think she won't want to come to New Orleans?" Hayley asked quietly as she sat down on the stairs as Hope spun in a circle as she laughed at something whoever she was talking to on the phone said, "She's not a baby Klaus, she isn't even a kid. She's seventeen, eighteen in a month. She has a life in London, or wherever she is now. She has a boyfriend, she's probably already in college. Klaus, she probably has plans. Who are we to mess with that?"

"Who are we to deny her the right to know us?" Klaus countered, "You read that letter."

Hayley smiled to herself at the letter that had come a year and a half ago. It wasn't even a letter, a box had shown up at the front door of the compound – something Hayley hadn't even known they had as everyone seemed to enter from absolutely nowhere – with a history textbook inside.

On the textbook there was a yellow post-it note on the front with Rebekah's handwriting and three words, 'Just this once.' Flipping through the book, neither Hayley, nor Klaus, nor Elijah had been able to figure out why they had been sent the book, till they had gotten to the back cover.

There in meticulous, tiny, and neat handwriting was the beginning of a letter that Hayley had memorized before they had to toss the textbook into a fire. It was the first moment Hayley had truly felt like she was a mother since she had given Hope up.

It was the moment Hayley had fallen more in love with her baby than she already was. Seeing Hope today had confirmed what Hayley had concluded from her daughter's makeshift letter – she was sweet, and she was kind, and she was funny in an unconscious manner, but more than that she was happy, and she was wise beyond her years.

"I just don't want to ruin anything for her, not when we've spent so long fighting for her." Hayley admitted.

"It's her choice whether she wants to meet us or not," Klaus decided, "We will not force her into it, we will let her know when New Orleans is safe, and that will be that."

"I need to go," Hayley said quickly as Hope hung up the phone and beginning making her way towards Hayley. She hung up with a promise to call Klaus once this was all over.

"Do you mind?" Hope asked sheepishly.

Hayley shook her head immediately – maybe a little too fast – and moved over so Hope could sit next to her on the steps.

"Are you okay?" Hayley asked carefully, while she didn't know how to be a mom, least of all an uncreepy mom, she was very aware of how seriously uncreepy she needed to come off as.

"I'm fine," Hope smiled, "I was just talking to my Aunt Rebekah, and I need a minute before I go back inside."

"Your boyfriend doesn't like your aunt?" Hayley asked having the decency to look slightly contrite as Hope looked at her with an amused expression.

"No," Hope shook her head, "Jason likes my aunt – or at least has an appreciation for how protective she is of me – but by that same notion it drives him absolutely insane how protective she is over me."

"That's confusing."

"It's not," Hope cleared up, "Jason's a protective person by nature, he doesn't care about a lot of things, but when he does, he cares about it a lot. However, my Auntie Beks takes overprotection to a new extreme. I'm from London, if you can't tell."

"It hasn't escaped my attention," Hayley smiled.

"Jason's going to Columbia in the fall-"

"And you're following him out here?" Hayley interrupted hoping her anger didn't bleed out into her tone. Her daughter was seventeen years old, she had no business following a boy halfway across the world.

"No," Hope reassured, "I'm not, we're going to do the long distance thing, but we decided to come out here for the summer so he could get settled."

"And your Aunt Rebekah wasn't okay with that?" Hayley asked feeling much more calm now. It was one thing for her daughter to spend a summer in New York with her boyfriend that was much less terrifying to Hayley.

Hope laughed sheepishly making a face, "No, my Aunt Rebekah followed us out here."

Hayley blinked for a second, she was well aware of how important both she and Klaus had stressed Hope's security to Rebekah, but even she couldn't help the overwhelming sympathy she felt for Hope, and even the sympathy she suddenly felt for Jason.

Hayley was an incredibly independent person by nature, and she couldn't think of anything worse than being seventeen – nearly eighteen years old – and still having a chaperone. It wasn't like Hope was completely defenseless – it wasn't like she couldn't take care of herself.

"I am so sorry."

"I love her but it's a little much," Hope admitted, "Jason was surprisingly tolerant of her coming down with us, but she makes me call and check in every hour when I'm not with her, and I think that drives him insane more than anything else."

That poor kid probably never got laid, Hayley thought to herself, and then nodded, good, until Hayley figured out how she felt about him, Jason had no business sleeping with her daughter.

"Why is she so overprotective?" Hayley asked a dangerous question that she already knew the answer to.

"My parents aren't really in the picture, she's raised me herself," Hope explained in an almost rehearsed fashion.

"Is that what you told Jason?"

"He, like you, isn't an idiot," Hope said running a hand through her long hair, "And more and more lately that explanation isn't good enough for him, but I don't think the truth is something he can handle."

"Something he can't handle, or something you can't handle?" Hayley asked pointedly.

If there was one thing Hayley had gotten from Hope's letter, and this chance encounter, it was that her daughter didn't let people in. Besides Rebekah, her daughter didn't have anyone to truly confide in, and if that was something Hayley could change in the space of this conversation, then she would be content for the rest of her life.

"I love him."

"I don't think love is what is in question. I think the communication between you two is the problem."

"It always has been," Hope sighed, "And only I am to blame for that."

"Then do something about it," Hayley shrugged.

"Maybe I will," Hope smiled standing up, "I'm so sorry for dumping all my problems on you like that. You must think I'm insane."

"I think you're beautiful," Hayley blurted out before she could stop herself, but Hope didn't find the comment odd, she merely took it in stride, and blushed.

"I should go," Hope nodded towards the shop.

"Hope?" Hayley called after her, her daughter's name slipping off her tongue for the first time in either of their lives where she was actually addressing her daughter while saying it.

"Yeah?" She turned around.

"For what it's worth, Jason doesn't seem like the kind of guy who scares easy. If he truly doesn't care about a lot of things the way you say he does, then the few things that he does care about, he'll fight like hell for."

"You think so?"

"I know so," Hayley promised.

"I'm going to hug you," Hope declared, "And that could be super creepy, but I literally just dumped half of my life problems on you, so I think a hug is one of the least creepy things I've done here today."

And before Hayley truly had time to process that statement, Hope's arms were around her neck, her sweet scent that somehow still smelled exactly like she had when she was born – sweet with a hint of Klaus' indescribable but completely alluring smell – and Hayley couldn't stop herself from wrapping her arms gently around Hope's waist.

Hayley closed her eyes to hold back the warm tears, as she tried her best to memorize this moment, to memorize how Hope felt in her arms, to memorize how gentle yet strong her embrace was, to memorize what it felt like to hold her daughter for the first time in seventeen years.

"Thank you, Hayley," Hope pulled away and made her way to the door again just as Elijah opened it, "For everything."

"Anytime," Hayley promised as she made another silent promise to herself that that was the first and only time Hope would address her as Hayley – the next time Hope talked to her, the next time Hope saw her, it would be as her mother.

"I'm going to tell him," Hope called over her shoulder as she moved ahead of them, "Everything."

Hayley smiled to herself as she took Elijah's hand in her own, as she watched Hope kiss her boyfriend – who Hayley decided she liked – and then watched the pair walk out of the cupcake shop much like they had entered – laughing.

And with that Hayley pulled out her phone, found Klaus' name, and sent him a text.

_**Too late. You can't kill him. She loves him. And he loves her. And I like him. He's hot – is that socially acceptable to say if he's my daughter's boyfriend? I feel like it is considering technically, I'm only twenty-two.**_

"What's she like?" Elijah asked quietly as they themselves exited the store minutes later.

Hayley thought back to the nickname Jason had given her daughter, "She's like sunshine." 


	5. The Love of A Father

"Hope, you aren't going, and that is it!" Auntie Bex cried loudly her palms slamming down against their dinner table so hard that the legs fell out from underneath it.

"It's not fair!" Hope cried back not the least bit fazed by the destruction, "All my friends are going!"

"Well you aren't, forget the fact that you are far too young, it is too dangerous for you to be running off on your own." Auntie Bex said sternly.

"I'm thirteen, Aunt Bekah!" Hope said firmly crossing her arms over her chest, "I am not too young to go to the beach with my friends and then spend the night at one of their houses."

"That beach is four hours away, I don't know any of your friends, and you are not going, Hope Mikaelson."

"Oh yeah, and who's going to stop me?"

Auntie Bex raised her eyebrows at her bold choice of words and stepped forward, "You take one step out of this house, without me, on Saturday, and I promise you Hope, you're going to be in a whole world of hurt."

Hope frowned blinking back the tears that were forming quickly. She couldn't help it, Hope didn't cry when she was sad, she cried when she was angry, she didn't know why, but the second someone pissed her off, it was all over.

"I thought you said my father didn't want me to be a prisoner," Hope said quietly before turning on her heel and making her way to her bedroom, but not before she missed the taken aback look on her aunt's face.

It was a low blow, but Hope knew better, her aunt was expecting her to say something worse, about how she wasn't her mother or something of that nature, but that wasn't in Hope's nature. She didn't want to hurt her aunt, she just wanted to let her go.

Hope pushed the covers to her bed back and slipped in, not bothering to take off her jeans, or her sneakers. She was just tired, she was tired of being scared all the time, she was tired of being careful all the time, she just wanted to do something for once, that had nothing to do with trying to keep herself alive, she wanted to do something stupid.

She wasn't sure how long she laid there, but it must have been a while, because she woke up to her Auntie Bex walking into the room. She must not have realized Hope was awake though because her movements were quiet – like she was trying not to wake her.

Hope kept her eyes closed as her Auntie Bex placed a covered plate of whatever she had made her for breakfast on her nightstand, pull of Hope's shoes, and jeans, before carefully tucking her covers back around her.

"I don't want you to feel like you're a prisoner, my sweet girl," Auntie Bex said quietly bending down at the side of her bed and running a hand through Hope's hair like she had done when Hope was a child, and couldn't fall asleep, "And there is nothing I want more than for you to be with your friends, and do reckless things, but right now, my darling, we don't have room in our lives to be reckless."

Hope wasn't sure if her aunt knew she was awake or not, but she made sure to keep her breathing adjusted, because her best guess was that her aunt thought she was still asleep.

"One day you're going to do something incredibly reckless, and no one will give it a thought because you won't be in any danger. You'll be safe. But until then I need you to just keep holding out, just for a little while, if not for me then for your parents. I know there are things you want, Hope, but there are things your mother and father want for you as well, and I think we owe them enough to try and stay out of trouble."

Auntie Bex sighed as she stood up and kissed Hope's head for a long Mument, before exiting the room in the same quiet and fast manner than she had entered in.

Hope sighed as soon as her aunt was on the other side of the house, and turned over to her back. She was exhausted, but she couldn't sleep, not when she was so restless. Hope stared at the door of her bedroom, gripping at her blanket tightly, telling herself not to do it, she had heard her Auntie Bex, and while she had never truly been in trouble before, she was trying to convince herself that she didn't want to find out what would happen when she was.

'Screw it,' Hope thought throwing off the covers in an extremely quiet movement, 'She was going to do something stupid, and reckless, and nothing was going to happen. She was going to be fine. The witches thought she was dead, there was no one actively hunting her, there was nothing dangerous about going out.'

She grabbed a pair of black short shorts that she usually wore to sleep, and pulled them on. She glanced at her white tank top, and figured she would be fine – it wasn't like she could get cold anyway, and with one last glance at her closed door, and a silently whispered apology to her aunt, she pushed open her bedroom window, and jumped.

Hope landed gracefully on the tips of her toes, and then she was running. Faster than she ever had before, and she was laughing, maybe she was even crying. She wasn't sure, all she knew was that racing into the forest that surrounded the back of their neighborhood had made her feel more alive than she had in the past thirteen years.

She wasn't sure how long she ran, or where she had run to but by the time she finally stopped, the sun was starting to set, and she was literally in the middle of nowhere, with absolutely no idea how she had gotten there.

Hope closed her eyes as she realized the problem, she was lost, totally and completely lost, there was no way for her to figure out where she had come from, because she had literally run everywhere – her scent was everywhere, and she had already been gone for hours. And as if that wasn't enough, Hope had jumped into water as well, and as soon as her body had hit the water, her scent had been washed off.

Her Auntie Bex most definitely knew she was gone, but more than that she had absolutely no way of finding her.

Hope breathed slowly, she had to calm down, she was a vampire, a vampire, werewolf, witch hybrid, and she could figure this out. But she was also a barefoot, barely dressed, thirteen year old who had absolutely no idea where she was, and in her desire to make a stupid decision, had probably made the worst mistake of her entire life.

Hope glanced around, she was in some kind of small town, but that was all she could gather at the Mument. She eyed the sign to what looked like a small convenience store, and slowly started to make her way over it, crossing her arms over her chest as she did so, wishing she had the brilliant idea to put on some actual clothes besides her tank top and tiny shorts.

But then again, if Hope had even the slightest bit of intelligence, she wouldn't have gone and run off in the first place. What had she been hoping to achieve by doing so? She knew she wasn't going to get to go on Saturday, and now she had just made the situation ten times worse for herself.

"Can I borrow a phone, please?" Hope asked the old man who was sitting behind the counter smoking a cigarette. Hope wondered if that was even legal.

"Its fifty pence a minute," The man nodded towards the payphone that was tucked into the corner of the shop.

Hope sighed and got onto the tips of her toes, making eye contact with the man before speaking clearly, "You will give me two pounds to make my phone call."

As if in a daze, the man opened the register, and pulled out two pounds, and held them out to her. With a sheepish smile, Hope took the coins and made her way to the back of the shop, where she immediately slipped the coins into the slot, and dialed her Auntie Bex number.

"Come on, come on, come on," Hope said under her breath as the phone continued to ring and ring. Why the hell wasn't she picking up the phone?

When the phone finally ran out of money without her Auntie Bex picking up, Hope slammed it back into the cradle so hard that the machine broke, causing Hope to curse. Great, now not only was she lost, but she had compelled two pounds out an old man, and then proceeded to destroy his shop.

"You'll forget I did that," Hope compelled the man once again before exiting the shop, and looking around once again trying to find out what to do. It was now nearly dark outside, and Hope couldn't help the panic that was filling her body. She had never been on her own like this before, never.

"Hello beautiful."

Hope turned around to find a man – the kind of man that never had good intentions – looking her up and down, and for what must have been the millionth time that night, Hope hated herself for her choice in attire.

"Hello," She said curtly before turning on her heel and walking away. She could easily overpower the man, but she had a bad habit of freezing when she was frightened, and if she wasn't frightened right now than she had absolutely no idea what she was.

"Oh come now love, don't be like that. I just want to have a little chat."

Hope flinched as she sped up slightly, but not enough to make the man think she was afraid. Hope didn't know much about being by herself – if her Auntie Bex was here the man wouldn't have even been breathing anymore – but she did know a couple things about being alone, and the most important rule was don't look vulnerable. Though she figured at the Mument she looked like the poster child for vulnerability.

"Have a good night," Hope said easily as she made a beeline for the next street that was illuminated with lights. That was rule number two, stay where you can easily be seen.

"Oh I'm sure we'll have a great night together beautiful in my-"

Whatever the man was saying was cut off by a quick cry, a snap, and then the sound of a body dropping. Hope froze in her tracks and ever so slowly turned around praying that that was her Auntie Bex and she had somehow managed to find her.

Hope couldn't have been more wrong.

"Hope Mikaelson," The man's voice was deadly, and strangely calm, his eyes – identical to her own – illuminated with anger, as he took a step away from the man he had just killed, "You are in so much trouble, little girl."

"Daddy," Hope breathed.

This had to be him, this just had to be. He knew her name, and he had her eyes, and she was positive that if he smiled – which she was also positive was something she most definitely hadn't earned from him – a set of dimples would reveal themselves in his cheeks, and his hair was curlier than her waves, but nevertheless similar.

And despite the fact that he had just killed a man, and despite the fact that he was looking at her like there was nothing he wanted to do more than beat some sense into her, Hope took off running, but not away from him, rather towards him.

It was only seconds later when she collided roughly into his strong chest, her legs wrapping themselves around his waist, and her arms around his neck, her head burying itself in the crook of his neck that fit her so perfectly as if it was made for her.

And she sobbed. She sobbed for every moment she hadn't gotten with her dad, she sobbed for every moment she hadn't gotten with her Mum, she sobbed for every bit of panic she hadn't realized she had been feeling till the relief of her dad's presence filled her, she sobbed for every moment that had led her to this, and she sobbed at the anger she could literally feel radiating off of her dad, despite the fact that his arms were wrapped tightly around her, one arm around her waist, and the other under her bum, holding her up, making sure she didn't fall.

She could tell that she had disappointed him, and she couldn't think of anything worse she could have done in the entire world. Even disappointing her Auntie Bex, hell even disappointing her Mum, wouldn't have made her feel as terrible as this. And for that reason Hope couldn't contain the sobs that racked her body.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," She managed to gasp out between sobs, "I'm so sorry."

"Shh, sweetheart," He soothed despite the fact that he still sounded angry, "We'll talk about it soon enough."

And then Hope cried harder, she didn't want to talk about it, because she had a feeling that if she talked about it with her dad, everything would come spilling out, the unhappiness, the frustration, and she didn't want to sound ungrateful, she didn't want to sound like a brat, not to her dad.

"You're angry with me," Hope said sniffling when her tears had finally died down, though she still hadn't pulled away – so her voice was muffled from his jacket.

"Well I'm definitely not pleased with you," He said gently putting her down, "What on earth were you thinking?"

Hope looked down at her bare feet with the common sense to look contrite as he glared at her, "I guess I wasn't really."

"No," Her dad said sternly, "You weren't thinking at all. And what the hell are you wearing? You're thirteen, Hope."

This time she had the decency to blush, "Their sleep clothes."

"And do you make a habit of going around in your sleep clothes?" He asked in an annoyed tone as he pulled off his leather jacket that she hadn't really noticed he was wearing, and draped it over her shoulders, pulling her arms through the sleeves of it.

She hugged it closer to her body as her dad bent down so his eye level was slightly lower than hers – why was she so short?

He raised his eyebrows making Hope realize that he was actually expecting an answer.

"No."

"No?" He repeated, "What about your feet? Do you make a habit of not wearing shoes?"

"No," She said once again, "I just…"

Hope trailed off as her dad finished her sentence.

"Wasn't thinking."

"Yes."

Her dad looked at her for a second before shaking his head, and standing up, "Let's go, you must be hungry."

"I'm okay," Hope said quietly as he began walking causing her to do the same.

Her dad stopped and gave her a look that made Hope immediately clamp her mouth shut, suddenly finding herself starving.

"What do you like?" He asked as they set off again.

"Anything," Hope said slowly as the realization hit her hard once again, this was her dad, she was finally with her dad.

"I'm not some kind of god, Hope," He said gruffly when he noticed that she was stumbling over her own feet because she was staring at him, "In fact I'm the complete opposite, so you don't have to look at me like that."

"You saved me," She said quietly.

"That isn't why you are looking at me like that," Her dad said, "And we both know you could have saved yourself from that man."

"And if I couldn't?" Hope challenged.

"Well I was there, wasn't I?"

"How did you know I was here?" Hope asked as they entered a diner a blast of cold air hitting her, causing her to pull her dad's jacket tighter around her. If it wasn't for the fact that he was standing right next to her, and it would have been creepy, Hope would have inhaled deeply, the leather jacket smelled amazing, it smelled like her dad.

"What would you like?" He ignored her handing her a menu.

"Do I have to eat?" Hope asked carefully figuring she'd try again, she was too nervous to eat.

"Do you really want to do this with me right now?"

Hope internally winced, her dad wasn't playing any games, he was pissed at her, and unfortunately Hope knew that he had a good reason to be. Briefly, she wondered if this is what Auntie Bex had in mind when she had promised Hope 'a whole world of hurt.'

Because she couldn't think of a single thing that could hurt more than having her dad both angry and disappointed with her.

"No," She said quietly as she briefly scanned the menu and then asked him hesitantly, "Can I just get a plate of chips? I'm really not hungry."

He looked her over for a second as if deeming her state of hunger for himself, before nodding and getting up from the table – that was tucked into the back of the diner where they weren't visible to anyone else – to give her order.

Hope sighed as she leaned her head against the wall, tucking her legs underneath her bum. She was exhausted, she wasn't hungry so much as she was exhausted, she had absolutely no energy, and she wasn't even sure she was going to be able to keep her eyes open long enough to have the conversation that she really didn't want to have with her dad.

He was back minutes later with an empty glass, and her plate of chips. Hope watched with fascination as her dad bit into his hand, and filled the cup with his own blood, before pushing that towards her as well.

"You're going to finish both," He said leaving no room for her to argue.

"How did you know where I was?" Hope asked again.

He pointed at the food.

Hope sighed and picked up two chips biting into both of them at the same time.

"Rebekah called in an absolute panic once you had disappeared, her witch's locater spell wouldn't work on you for some reason, and your scent disappeared a long while back. Your Mum, Uncle Elijah, and I were the only other people who knew your scent."

"How did you get here so quickly?"

"You've been missing an entire day," He said disapprovingly causing her to glance away and stuff some more chips into her mouth.

"Does Auntie Bex know I'm with you?"

Her dad nodded.

"Is she mad?"

"She's furious."

"What about Mummy?" Hope asked carefully unsure if she really wanted to know or not.

"She's not happy with you, but she's more just glad that you're safe."

Hope exhaled, as she took another chip, that was good, she didn't need two parents who she had never met ready to dagger her just so she wouldn't do something stupid again.

"Don't be so pleased with yourself, I don't think I've ever been so angry with anyone in my entire life, and that is saying something, Hope."

"I know I know I messed up," She said quickly.

"That's a bit of an understatement, love."

"It wasn't fair though!" Hope cried unable to hold back the dam of words, maybe it was because she wasn't sure the next time she would see him, or maybe it was because being around her dad was like drinking a truth serum, she was suspecting the latter, but she let the words escape from her mouth.

"I don't get to do anything, ever, Daddy! And I know it's to keep me safe, I know! But if I'm going to be a prisoner with Auntie Bex in London, then I'd rather just be a prisoner with you, Mummy, Uncle Elijah, and Auntie Bex in New Orleans!"

"Oh Princess," He sighed as some of the anger left his features – though not all of it, "Come here."

Hope slid out of her side of the booth, and into his, and allowed him to pull her into his chest, her legs folding underneath her bum, on his lap.

"Sweetheart, you are not a prisoner," He said quietly running a hand through her hair, "You are free, my littlest wolf, you are free to run, and you are free to play, and you are free to be thirteen. But that's just it, you are only thirteen. So the running off, the clothing choice, the pure stupidity of this, the situations you put yourself in, none of those things are acceptable."

"I know," She said just as quietly.

"Do you, Hope?" He asked sternly pulling away so they could look at each other with identical eyes, "Or do I need to think up an actual punishment so this behavior doesn't ever happen again? Because I promise you I can, and I promise you it will be far worse than anything Rebekah dreams up."

"No sir," Hope said both seriously and quickly, "I promise."

"Never again?"

"Never again." She repeated.

"Then all is forgiven, my littlest wolf." He smiled for the first time at her revealing dimples identical to her own as he kissed her forehead.

"Daddy?" Hope asked as she crawled off his lap, only to sit down next to him, tucking her head on his shoulder, "When can I come home?"

"As soon as it's safe," He continued on as she opened her mouth to protest, "I know that's not the answer you want to hear, Hope, but that is all I have for you."

"What if I don't want to be safe?" She looked at him, "What if I don't care?"

"Well that's the thing isn't it, love?" Her dad smiled gently, "It's not your choice. I'm the parent, and your safety is the only priority, you don't get an opinion, not when it's about your safety."

"I can help," Hope insisted, "I'm strong, I can do – I don't know what I can do, but I know I can help. I'll do much more good in New Orleans than I will in London."

"Hope," Her dad lost his smile and his voice became stern once again, "This isn't up for discussion. You'll stay in London with your Aunt Rebekah, and if you want to argue with me over this more, then we can revisit the discussion about consequences for your actions."

Hope clamped her mouth shut as she realized that her Auntie Bex was right, her dad didn't take shit from anyone, and that was including from herself, the only difference was that Hope had much more leeway than others, and she figured that any punishment her dad gave her wouldn't include killing her or hurting her in any manner.

"Finish your food," He sighed, "And drink that."

Hope groaned but pulled the food, and the glass over to her, and began biting into the chips once again. They sat in silence as she finished eating, before she glanced at the cup of blood, and then at her dad with a pleading expression.

She usually always had a cup of blood a day, it curbed the vampire in her, while actual food curbed the werewolf and witch, however it also had this way of filling her up, and she usually had it as a meal. She really wasn't hungry at all, and all she wanted to do was curl up in her bed, and go to sleep.

The instant she looked at him, she could tell that she wouldn't be getting up from the table without finishing the cup, but instead of the stern tone she had been expecting, he picked up the cup, and gave her a smile.

"Come on, love," He held it out, "Just one cup, and we'll call it a day, alright?"

"But I don't want it," She pushed her luck when he didn't show any signs of anger.

"I also didn't want to get a phone call this morning telling me my daughter had run off into god knows what kind of danger."

Hope glared at him; that was a low blow.

"Alright, I'm sorry," He conceded, "But you do need to drink this."

"Are you sure?"

"Look at your feet, Hope."

Hope made a face at the oddness of the statement, but nevertheless looked down at the bottom of her feet. She frowned, they were cut up, and covered in dried blood, they hadn't healed from all the running she had done, that had never happened before.

"Right now your vampire side is being curbed," He explained, "Blood will help that, and in turn you will heal yourself."

"But then I only need a sip right?"

"You know if Rebekah had told me you were so whiny, I would've just shoved my wrist into your throat the second we got here."

Hope blushed at her father's teasing statement, but gently placed her hand around the one her dad had around the cup, and drew it to her lips. And with a shut of her eyes, and quick sips, she downed the cup before letting go of it, allowing her dad to pull it away from her.

The effect was instantaneous, her feet that she hadn't realized were hurting till they weren't healed, her exhaustion immediately wore off mostly, and all around she just felt better. She wasn't sure if she was happy or not that her dad was right.

He gave her smile like he knew exactly what she was debating.

"Come on sweetheart," He ushered her out of the booth, "Let's get you home."

"Here."

Hope stared at the vial of blood that her dad offered her after she had changed her clothes and slipped into her bed in confusion. She had literally just drank a whole cup of blood; what did she need more for?

"What's this?"

Her dad sighed as he looked at her with an expression she couldn't quite decipher but could tell that it didn't mean anything good.

"Do you know what white oak is, Hope?"

"It's the only thing that can kill an, Original," Hope said slowly unsure of where this was going, "The only thing that can kill us."

"There was one white oak stake left, we burned it, but kept the ashes. This vile contains some of the ashes of the oak."

"And you want me to drink that?" Hope furrowed her eyebrows, "You want me to drink something that could kill me?"

"It's not going to kill you, love," He explained, "It won't hurt you at all, you won't even feel any different."

"Then why do you want me to drink that?"

"Because it will weaken you, even though you won't be able to tell, it will weaken you just for a little while."

Hope stared at her dad for a long moment trying to figure out why her dad would want her to drink something that would make her weaker – however temporarily – before the realization hit her like a bus.

"No," She shook her head pushing the vial back into his hand, "Absolutely not, I won't take it."

"You don't have a choice, Hope," He said sadly.

"Yes I do!" Hope cried vehemently, "I am not a child anymore, I'm not a baby, you don't get to make my decisions for me, not anymore! I get a say in this, and I say no."

"We talked about this, my littlest wolf, yes you do get a say, and you are old enough to be part of making decisions about your own life, but not when it comes to your safety."

"And this," She cried pointing at the vial, "Weakening me, so you can compel me to forget that I met you tonight, how does that keep me safe? I can keep my mouth shut, Daddy, you can trust me!"

"Hope," He said placing a hand on her face as she began crying again, "This isn't a matter of trust. This is about leaving no room for error, no loopholes, the only way no one will ever know that you are my daughter, is if you yourself don't know that you are my daughter."

"But I do know," She sniffed quietly already sensing her own defeat, "Even if you compel me, I will still know what I always knew, my parents are two people that made stupid decisions, and now they are cleaning up the mess they made so I can come back home."

"And that could be any two people in the world," He said giving her a sad smile, "I promise you, Hope, if you are not with me and your mama in New Orleans by the time you are sixteen, I'll let your Auntie Bex tell you some more about the two of us. I let her tell you about how I am the Original Hybrid, I'll let her tell you about your mama, but you need to just trust that for now this is what's best."

"I don't want to forget," She whispered miserably.

"I know you don't, my littlest wolf, I don't want you to forget either."

"No," Hope shook her head finding his eyes once again, "I don't want to forget that you love me."

"Do you ever doubt that?"

"Sometimes," She whispered the terrible truth, "Sometimes I think that Auntie Bex just tells me that my parents left me with her to keep me safe because she doesn't want me to know that my parents didn't want me."

"Hope Mikaelson, if you ever say something that foolish again…" Her dad trailed off but the implication of the words were clear.

She wasn't to think something that stupid, ever again.

"Come on, love," He said wiping at her tears, "Close your eyes."

Hope did so, and didn't hesitate when the cool glass of the vial tilted into her mouth, and simply down the contents.

They were silent as Hope laid down into her bed, and her dad pulled the covers up under her chin, and he sat down on the floor so they eye level.

"I love you, Daddy," Hope whispered.

"I love you too, my littlest wolf," He promise, "Always and forever."

Hope sniffed and then nodded her blue eye finding her dad's identical ones for what she figured would be the last time in a very long time.

"You will forget today ever happened, when you wake all you will remember is your argument with your Aunt Rebekah. You will think through things before you make decisions in the future. When you wake up, you will do so with the knowledge that your Mama and Daddy love you. Go to sleep, Hope, have the sweetest of dreams."


End file.
